Neon Genesis Evangelion: The American
by Zuiyo Maru
Summary: An American teenager accidentally bonds with Evangelion Unit Four, and has to deal with not only his problems, but the issues of the dysfunctional people around him.
1. Prologue: Accidents Happen

Author Notes

Evangelion is not owned by me, and this is not for profit.

Feel free to copy this, as long as you give me credit.

Also feel free to critque me, because while I've proofread all this, I'm sure it could be better.

And one last disclaimer: This is not an author insert. I don't look, act, talk, or behave like any of the characters in this story (as far as I'm aware.)

Happy reading!

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The Nerv-02 facility, formerly known as Area 51, Nevada, was normally a quiet place. The calm desert air was rarely disturbed by klaxon, and in fact the loudest it ever got was when the large aircraft brought in new parts for its production model unit deep underground. The massive aircraft only came by about once a week, landing and unloading huge crates of equipment that was never seen by the public eye.

Security towers were located every fifty feet along a tall chain link fence. The towers were supplemented by cameras every twenty feet and a high tech control center that could monitor every square inch of the perimeter fence. Armed guards patrolled approximately every fifteen minutes, leaving the interior of the base nigh impregnable.

The facility extended deep underground, after multiple sets of steel doors prevented access to the lower levels. Most of the facility was dedicated to support for Nerv Headquarters in Tokyo-3, with a few other major facilities on-site. In fact, for now, the Adam embryo was housed here, although only a few were aware of it, and it was due to be moved to Germany in two days. There was only one other significant project underway in the base; the manufacture and maintenance of the fifth production model Evangelion.

The production model Evangelion, Unit Four, was a white and chrome monstrosity. It resembled the two previous models, Unit Two, built in Germany, and Unit Three, built in Boston, but possessed a few significant differences. For one thing, Unit Four had only two eyes, similar to the prototype Unit One. The chrome trim and white body of Unit Four stood out starkly compared to the other Eva units; while Units Zero, One, and Two were gaudily colored, and the still incomplete Unit Three was a dark blue, Unit-4 was simple and distinctive.

Also unlike the other Evangelions, the white Evangelion neither had a pilot nor a guiding soul. Dr. Gerald Howell, the MIT educated managing engineer of the project, was incredibly uncomfortable with the notion that someone would have to sacrifice themselves for the thing to function, but had been shoehorned into controlling the project by his Japanese colleague, Ritsuko Akagi. Dr. Howell was fully aware of the details of Second Impact, and understood the need to defend the world from the Angels, but never totally understood the need to give up a human life for the thing to operate; he was a biochemical engineer, not a metaphysical biologist.

So far, no one else in the Nevada facility was aware of the operational needs of the Evangelion; as far they were aware, the reason the thing deep inside their facility was not operational because it lacked a pilot, not a human soul. So far, Unit Four had never operated under any sort of power. Every activation test and contact experiment thus far had failed. Every pilot candidate had failed to sync, and only the Doctors Akagi and Howell, along with the leaders of Nerv, were aware that the Evangelion needed something more to function.

Gendo Ikari, the commander of Nerv, had tried to find a pilot for the Evangelions, but so far only a two had proven themselves able; Rei Ayanami, handpicked for the project, and Asuka Langley Sohryuu, the prodigy of Germany, had so far been successful at piloting, although he was fully aware that his son was capable of piloting Unit One; the more recent iterations of the project, however, had proven more resistant.

Commander Ikari was, however, aware of the role given to the newer Eva units. According to the Dead Sea Scrolls, the fourth (Unit Three) was destined to become an Angel, while the fifth (Unit Four) would have little part to play in the coming events. It was his understanding that finding a pilot for either unit was not necessary, and so gave it little thought.

Destiny, naturally, had other things in store.

Christopher Roland was a miscreant. He had grown up an orphan, in and out of the system that had developed after Second Impact. He was odd; he normally acted like an average boy of his age, but at times seemed like a completely different person; the average boy, a boy who seemed normal until the tricks and crimes began piling up, and more rarely a violent berserker with no self-control and an incredible violent streak. He had been kicked out of three separate orphanages for his habits and temper; now, he was "living" with a foster family in Roswell, New Mexico. He had, in the second week after arriving there, hitched a ride with a passing trucker and arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a fake ID and a stolen credit card. It had not taken long for him to get kicked out.

Christopher Roland was also fourteen years old.

He had hitched another ride, but this one had been unable to stand the mischievous little teenager riding with him in the cab, and had dumped him out on the highway. Coincidentally, Chris had walked east until he had reached the high chain link fence surrounding the Nerv facility. Despite the posted signs warning that if he proceeded he would be shot, and despite the obviously armed guards surrounding the facility, he had resolved to get in. After all, what did he have to live for?

Despite his occasionally violent manner, Christopher was also quite intelligent. He knew that the security around the facility would be incredibly difficult to penetrate. He was also quite stubborn, and this did not deter him. He watched as a man in a tan uniform walked past the fence, surveying the countryside outside the fence. He looked bored, and Christopher had no doubt he had never seen any action. He waited for the guard, a young man who looked like he was about twenty five years old, to pass by as he hid behind a bush, and he was shortly out of sight.

Christopher couldn't see the cameras positioned on the tower, but the thought never entered his head that other security could be present; his only thought was that it might be interesting to see what was inside the base. He grabbed hold of the chain link fence, then slowly climbed to the top. The razor wire at the top didn't even slow him down, as he threw himself over it and suffered only a minor cut on his leg. He landed in a heap, but the nearest guard didn't hear anything, and luckily enough for Christopher, the camera was scanning in the other direction as he leapt over. With a quick look around, he began running towards the only building nearby; a steel hanger that looked fairly empty.

No one opposed Chris as he arrived at the building, and he assumed he had not been spotted. The hanger was full; a large vehicle similar to the flying wings he had occasionally seen designed. This one had been modified for use as a carrier, and a large assembly was hanging below it, as if waiting for massive cargo. Christopher was impressed by the size of the thing, but otherwise paid it no mind as he found a door that was unlocked.

The door led to a huge staircase, deep into the ground. The massive staircase looked old, but the curious part of Christopher's mind drove him to descend. He spent nearly an hour walking down the stairs. Partly, he was bored by the monotony of it, but by the he reached the bottom, he anticipated the rewards of his journey greatly.

As he pushed open the final door, he failed to notice the alarm connection that went off. Meanwhile, deep in the control center of the facility, Dr. Howell was about to wrap up his late night of work when the alarm went off. He wasn't unprepared for such an eventuality, but it startled him nonetheless. With a glance at the facility map, he saw the unused section of the facility in the east wing was highlighted. He grabbed the microphone, and the base's speaker system began broadcasting.

"Attention all Nerv personnel! This is Doctor Howell. There is an intruder in the east wing of the facility, near access door 7-A. Organize a lockdown and keep an eye out." Howell pulled back from the microphone and began speaking to his subordinates in the control center. "Secure the Evangelion facility. We can't have anyone finding out what's happening down there. And dammit, how did anyone get past the perimeter?"

"Doctor, no system is perfect, that's why we have alarms on the access doors." His subordinate, whose name he could never really recall, was a short brown haired man with an impressive girth. Howell glanced at him, then returned to the control screen. The doctor pulled his lab coat up on his shoulders, then turned and began to leave.

"I'm going to patrol the Eva facility. Keep an eye on things for me." He left through the sliding automatic door, and his subordinate only sighed as the black haired doctor left.

For his part, Christopher did not fail to notice the announcement. With a quiet groan, he looked for somewhere to run, and dashed down the hallway to the left, hoping that the facility didn't have the capability to track his movement. Why he hadn't thought so hard about security earlier worried him, but that didn't stop him from barreling into what appeared to be a sterile laboratory.

The door was temporarily sealed, but Chris only had to punch a red-lettered access button to open the door. Inside were two long, empty cylinders labeled in English and Japanese. The English label read "Unit-04 Entry Plug" in large black letters, though he had no idea what it read in Japanese; he assumed it was the same in both languages. The top of the cylinder had an irised opening that was apparently sealed open. He turned to leave the lab, but heard footsteps as he turned and saw a black haired man in a white lab coat walking towards the lab. The tall scientist almost hit his head on the low hanging STERILE sign as he approached, but ducked and continued on his way.

Christopher almost panicked, but the rational part of his mind prevailed and he ran to the empty cylinder. With a quick look around, he crawled over it and into the entrance. It was large on the inside, with a seat just large enough to accommodate someone of his stature, him being taller than the average fourteen year old, but he was able to curl up and conceal himself in front of it. As far as he was aware, he could not be seen without actually entering the plug.

Dr. Howell entered the entry plug laboratory. Although it wasn't immediately visible, a large egress on the right side of the lab led directly from the lab to the primary Evangelion construction facility. The two entry plugs that were on loan from Nerv Tokyo had been unsuccessfully used in several tests with Unit Four, and through the side of the lab could be loaded directly into the Eva.

Dr. Howell noticed that one of the plugs had been left open, probably from some recent maintenance. He glanced in quickly, to make sure nothing was out of place, and then sealed it shut by pressing the close button on the outside. Christopher, on the inside, was left in darkness.

"Well, shit."

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The night came and went, and no one found Christopher on the inside of the plug. Dr. Howell remained in the facility all night, sleeping in the control center to remain apprised of the situation, but the intruder was not found. The only indication of something wrong was a door opened without authorization near the entry plug labs, but no other sign was found.

Christopher attempted to attract attention by banging on the inside walls of the plug, but no one entered the lab, and he eventually gave up and went to sleep. His sleep wasn't troubled by dreams, but when he woke up, he could not for the life of him remember where he had fallen asleep. His last memory was of falling asleep in his new foster home. He looked around, but was in the dark, and couldn't see anything. He felt himself sitting in a padded chair, and was enclosed on all sides by a dark wall.

Dr. Howell woke up to find himself in the control center of the base. He looked at the clock, and discovered that it was about eight o'clock in the morning, meaning that he had technically started work. He moaned out loud; he had looked forward to going home and seeing his girlfriend, but he would have no such luck today. At nine thirty another entry plug test was scheduled, and Doctor Howell had the unfortunate duty of supervising it.

Christopher began banging on the walls again, hoping for someone to hear him, but after about an hour he gave up. He sighed and gave up; maybe he would be lucky enough for someone to open up and rescue him. He sat down in the chair again and prayed for a miracle.

At nine thirty, Doctor Howell began the entry plug test. A team of technicians connected the Evangelion to its external power source. To the doctor it appeared inefficient; the power plug design was suitable for home electronics, sure, but this 2015, dammit, and they had better designs! He didn't speak his complaints out loud, however, and the Evangelion was connected in short order.

The entry plug lab in the eastern wing of the facility was quiet until three technicians entered in order to move the plug into the Evangelion. The egress opened quietly. The plug was so well padded that Christopher didn't hear anything on the outside, and the technicians did not hear him on the inside.

"Use the number two plug. With any luck we might have a successful activation." The technicians pushed the plug, naturally the one that Christopher was in, onto a metal assembly that would put the entry plug in position for insertion into the Evangelion waiting for it. Christopher felt the movement and began hitting the walls and yelling, but to no avail; the plug was insulated to prevent the pilots from being too distracted.

"Entry plug number two is prepared for insertion, doctor." said the portly subordinate, the same one who had been working the night before. Unlike Doctor Howell, he had returned home the night before and had a good night's sleep. In the doctor's opinion, it only gave him another reason to dislike the technician.

"Very good. Is power running to the Evangelion?" Doctor Howell rubbed his forehead. He had a headache too, but he couldn't go home, at least until the experiment was completed.

"For the last time, doctor, yes. The experiment is ready to continue on your command." The technician wasn't doing himself any favors with his attitude, and Doctor Howell was sure to remember every snarky comment.

"Alright. Fill the plug with the LCL." LCL was a complete mystery to the doctor. It exhibited properties of a variety of chemicals; sometimes it was similar to a simple liquid, and at others more like some kind of protein. His every attempt at analysis had failed, though experiments had shown a variety of uses for the stuff. In controlled conditions in stimulated the correct portions of the brain to synchronize with an Evangelion, and when electrified allowed liquid respiration. It also exhibited some regenerative properties, particularly on the lungs, although only on certain persons. His supply of the stuff was also limited, so he couldn't study it as often as he wished, but the LCL used in entry plug experiments was recyclable, so he had little worry.

Some pilot candidates worried that the LCL was dangerous. Dr. Howell, however, had determined after extensive testing that when electrified, full immersion in LCL was completely harmless. On the inside of the entry plug, however, none of this was consolation to Christopher, who was now fully covered in the stuff. He coughed extensively as the stuff filled his lungs, though he quickly discovered that he could breathe in the orange gunk filling his shelter. The smell, however, was enough to make him sick. It was reminiscent of blood, and he nearly vomited up some of the liquid now filling his lungs.

"Hmmm. There's a discrepancy in the volume of LCL in the entry plug." The technician wasn't particularly surprised; some of the equipment Nerv Four had received was sub-par. Nerv headquarters and Nerv Germany had significantly better technology, but Nerv Nevada received some very low grade equipment. Apparently Evangelion Unit Four was not as necessary to the security of humankind.

"Bleed some off, and we'll recycle it later." Doctor Howell had no trouble believing the error, either. At least for once the technician was saying something intelligent.

"Done and done."

Christopher was beginning to panic. He could somehow breathe in the liquid, which had turned clear in the presence of electricity he was unaware of. He found he could move normally, and for the first time noticed the two hand holds at his side. He wondered what they were for, and the rational question took his mind off the situation he was in.

"Alright. Begin the activation sequence." Doctor Howell had attempted to activate the Evangelion a dozen times before; he was the only one in the Nerv facility aware of the futility of it.

This only made him more surprised when the technician exclaimed "Sir, the A-10 nerve connection has activated!"

"WHAT?!? What the hell is going on? What's different?"

"As far as we're aware, this is the same experiment we've run a hundred times. Maybe we got lucky?"

Howell wasn't so sure.

Christopher, on the other hand, had bigger problems. He had a splitting pain in his head, and he grabbed the sides of his head and screamed. The pain was so intense that he could not focus on anything else. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced; it was so painful he thought he would black out, but the pain would not even allow him to do that.

"GAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" All he could feel was pain, and every other thought about his situation was pushed out of his mind.

"What are the diagnostics saying? Can we determine why the A-10 nerve is active?" Howell was almost in a panic. Every other successful activation of an Evangelion had relied on a human soul being present, yet here and now he was seeing evidence to the contrary.

"Wait a minute! Sir, we have a problem! Someone's inside the entry plug!" This time, his female subordinate, a short brunette, spoke. "The pressure sensors are showing readings that someone is sitting inside!"

"WHAT? How is that possible? How could anyone have been in there?" Then Howell had another thought. "Oh shit, the intruder! Shut down the Eva! Disconnect power! Eject the entry plug!"

The Evangelion's power cord separated from the unit's back, and small jets on its back allowed it to land without any damage. The entry plug seemed to stick for a moment, then flew backward. The thrusters threw it back against the wall of the facility, which it fired against for a moment before the jets shut off and it fell to the ground with a crash.

Dr. Howell was fully aware of the results of the disastrous activation test of Unit Zero in Tokyo, but Unit Four had not yet moved, and so far the only external indications something had happened were the eyes. While before they had been completely hidden behind the face plate that protected and controlled the Evangelion, they now glowed a sickly green color. Even as the doctor and technicians watched, however, the eyes went from green to red, and its arms began to move. A monstrous roar emerged from its open mouth, and the monstrosity began to rip its way out of the meager bindings holding it in place.

Thankfully, the Evangelion did not possess enough energy to continue its rampage. Before it could reach the window to the control room and do any damage to it, it shut down and slumped forward, out of power.

Dr. Howell wiped the nervous sweat of his brow and turned to the two technicians in the control room with him. He noticed that the fat one had soiled himself, but decided to tactfully not bring it up. "Well," said the young brunette, "at least the damned thing works."

Howell and the fat technician only glared.

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It took some time for the entry plug to cool, and afterwards it had to be drained of LCL. Dr. Howell was expecting the person inside to perhaps be Nerv personnel, or a trained infiltrator sent by some shadowy organization. A fourteen year old miscreant was beyond his ken.

Christopher was unconscious when he was brought out of the entry plug, and immediately sent to emergency care at the nearest intensive care facility. Cockpit recorders had gotten the entire event on tape, but few could bear to listen to them after the boy began screaming.

Later that day, while Christopher was still in his sleep, Dr. Howell confronted his chief of security, Colonel Jacob Klemens.

"So, Colonel, perhaps you'd like to explain how a teenager entered our secure perimeter, then managed to not only get into our facility, but into one of our labs, and nearly destroyed over a decade of work?" Howell was still angry, but had calmed significantly in the time since the incident. Now, he was worried about several other things; the boy's status, of course, but also the wrath of Gendo Ikari and Ritsuko Akagi when they learned of this. His fear was that after coming this far, he would be removed from the project. Normally, he would not have minded, but now, after a success, however brutal, he was reluctant to leave.

"Doctor, I can't explain how that boy got inside last night. All my people swear that they didn't see or hear a thing." Klemens spoke with a southern accent, though he knew better than to use any slang in the doctor's presence; Howell was notorious for lashing out at those who made up words. At the time, however, that was the last thing on his mind.

Howell took a sidelong glance at the colonel, then put his hand on his forehead and sighed. "I understand, Colonel. Sorry. It's been a long couple of days." Howell was almost surprised at his own benevolence, but assumed it was because he feared for his own position as well.

"Don't worry about it, doc." Jacob lapsed into his more comfortable speech pattern, and Howell didn't seem to mind. "We think there may be a faulty camera on the eastern perimeter, so we're looking into that. Seems like a bit of a long shot, though."

"Alright. See if you can find anything out. I'll probably be the one who takes the heat for this one, anyway." Howell again turned away from the colonel. As if on his cue, his brunette assistant arrived.

"There's a phone call for you from Nerv headquarters, Doctor." she said quietly. Howell sighed again, then shoved the chair toward the table and walked to his office to take his berating in private.

The voice on the other end of the phone was the formal tone of Nerv's commander, Gendo Ikari. This was not unexpected, though Doctor Howell had never enjoyed speaking to Ikari; something about the older man unsettled him.

"Doctor Howell. I will speak English, so that you can clearly understand the trouble this incident has caused."

"Sir, I assure you, reasonable precautions had been taken - "

"Your reasonable precautions resulted in the largest breach of security this organization has ever seen."

"Sir-"

"You will not interrupt me again, Doctor." Howell fell silent. He scowled, though Ikari would not see that over the phone line. "Not only is an unauthorized civilian now aware of the Eva, he has been inside of it, and apparently made contact with it. Unit Four has now activated, and we cannot be sure that it can be controlled. Furthermore, there is the matter of the boy." The doctor's frown widened. By his reckoning, the boy's welfare should have been the first priority. Ikari was a notoriously cold man, however; Howell had heard stories that he had essentially disowned his own son.

"Am I to understand that we currently have no information about this boy or where he came from?"

"That's correct, sir. No name, date of birth, residence, or identification of any kind. Until he wakes up, we won't know anything about him."

"I see. He survived the contact incident, correct? Do we have any idea what kind of condition he is in mentally?"

"We have no indication of that, sir. A CAT scan showed no permanent damage, but it didn't in the Sohryu case either, so we can't be sure." Howell was referring to the disastrous contact experiment that another of his colleagues, Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu, had undergone, which had left her insane, and eventually resulted in her suicide. Although he spoke dispassionately about it to Ikari, he had greatly admired the young scientist, and had been devastated to hear of her death.

"Very well. Keep me apprised." Ikari abruptly hung up, and Howell let out a sigh – this time of relief - that he had not been instantly fired. He turned to leave, but the phone rang again. This time, he answered it himself.

"Hello? What? He's awake? I'll be there as soon as possible." He put the phone down on the stand. "Margaret, I'll be out of the office for a few hours. If Commander Ikari calls, tell him to shove off for me." Margaret, his assistant, had received this instruction several times; after the first, she had learned it was truly a jest, and one did not speak to Commander Ikari in that manner.

Dr. Howell walked outside to his car, a DeLorean. It was often joked that if he had the time and patience for it, he would have already built a time machine out of the thing. As it was, the car had minimal modifications; a sports car red paint job, a turbo hidden in the engine, and a coffee maker in the dashboard. No one had ever called the doctor uninventive, simply lazy.

As he drove down the desert highway that led away from the base, he couldn't help but think about the Evangelion hidden safely underground. It had not activated since the accident, but no power had been supplied to it either, and he assumed it could not operate without power. Moving without even an entry plug, however...that worried the good doctor very much. He would need to compare notes with Dr. Akagi to figure out what had happened. He hated working with these unpredictable things – he wasn't even sure what to call them, machines or creatures - but somebody had to do it, so it might as well be the most qualified.

The hospital was only a short drive from the Nerv facility. While the Nerv headquarters in Tokyo-3 had its own dedicated hospital facility, Nerv's fourth branch was not quite so lucky; they had to share a hospital with a nearby US Army and Air Force facility. Military accidents were not uncommon at either base, but they also had to deal with more exotic problems from the Nerv base, and so it was in some ways considered an extension of that facility.

Christopher was currently being housed in the intensive care unit of the hospital. While his injuries did not appear severe, he had been unconscious for nearly twelve hours. The doctors at the hospital could not be made aware of the could not be made aware of what had caused his condition, not that it would have done any good anyway. When he had awoken he forgot where he was for a moment, but then the previous day's events came crashing down on him.

He still did not remember entering the entry plug, but the loading and the pain he had experienced was still very fresh. Thankfully it had stopped completely, but he had blacked out as soon as the pain had ended, so again woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling. The only he remembered while being unconscious was of an incoherent yelling filling his head, but that faded away eventually as well.

The older doctor who was overseeing his recovery had told him he could not leave his bed until they had conducted some tests. These had so far consisted of blood sugar level tests, an MRI and CAT scan, and a psychological examination, complete with inkblot tests. The old man had last told him that before he could leave, he would need to speak to a "Doctor Howell."

Howell happened to be a six-foot two black haired doctor from South Dakota. When he entered Christopher's hospital room, the two studied each other for a moment.

Doctor Howell wore a pair of black slacks and a white button-down shirt that he left untucked. He kept his black hair short and flat, and his green eyes carried a remarkable weight of cynicism. It had been some time since he had a chance to shave, so the stubble had begun to grow on his face. He was also very skinny; he had little fat, and no obviously developed muscle.

Christopher was likewise tall, although tall for a fourteen year old was closer to closer to five-seven or five-eight. He had brownish-blonde hair was of middling length, and made no attempts to style it;he would have grown it longer, but the last orphanage had made him shave it off, so it was still in the process of regrowing. His eyes were brown, and right now they reflected his confusion, as he observed every detail in the hopes of figuring out what had happened. Right now he wore a green hospital gown, though his clothes – a pair of faded jeans and a t-shirt – were laid at the side of his bed.

"So can you tell me what the hell is happening?" The boy didn't hesitate to ask questions, and didn't mince his words either. The doctor could respect him for that.

"Before I answer any questions, I need you to do something for me." He opened a messenger bag, covered in black leather, that he had slung across his shoulder, and removed a small stack of forms. "I need you to fill out these non-disclosure agreements. Anything I tell you cannot leave this room, understood?" He held out a pen to the boy.

Christopher nodded, seized the pen, and went to work on the forms. It took about ten minutes of initialing and signatures before he was done. "Alright, I'm done. Now what happened to me?"

"Do you want me to start with the part where you entered a secure facility, or should I jump ahead to the bit where you interfered with a classified experiment?" Howell say the confusion forming in the boys eyes, and offered a sigh of weary resignation. "I'll start from the beginning, then. You somehow infiltrated our secure perimeter, probably on the eastern side, then entered an unsecured access door in Hanger 7. You then proceeded to enter one of our laboratories, and entered an entry plug we were preparing to use an experiment. You were still inside when that experiment began, and blacked out when it was called off. Any of this sounding familiar?"

"The last thing remember is waking up in a dark chamber, then some movement, and lastly the worst pain I've ever felt. What the hell kind of experiments were you running, anyway?" Christopher shook his head. Something felt wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was just the lingering effects of the experiment.

"I'll be honest, explaining it to you will get us nowhere. Put your clothes back on, you're healthy enough to leave." With that, Dr. Howell turned and left. He glanced at the forms; the boy had signed them as Christopher Roland. At least he had a name. A few moments later, the boy emerged from the room, wearing the faded jeans and the t-shirt. Howell could now see it read "Irony is my bitch." He chuckled inwardly at the turn of phrase. "Follow me, please."

Chris followed the doctor out of the hospital. The waiting car was a DeLorean, which he was quick to laugh at. "Seriously, man, did you watch Back to the Future one too many times?" The doctor glanced at him; not many of the younger generation had bothered to watch the movie he had once considered his favorite.

"You kids don't have an appreciation for the classics." He pushed a small button on his key ring, and both doors opened at the same time. "Get in, the drive isn't too long."

The doctor was true to his word; the Nerv base was only about twenty minutes from the hospital, in case of medical emergencies. They passed through the security checkpoint on the outskirts of the huge airfield, and proceeded to the central building. Once inside, they boarded an elevator.

"So you had to drag me all the way back here to show me what, exactly?" The elevator ride was long, and Chris was fairly certain that it was longer than the car ride he had just taken.

"If I try to explain it to you, you won't believe it." The doctor smiled. Upon entering the base, he had again donned his lab coat. Whenever he worked in a lab setting, he was sure to wear it. It hardly served to impress the teenager beside him, who was remarkably verbose for a kid.

"Yeah, right. If I had been around sixteen years ago, I wouldn't have believed an alien attack would knock the planet off-kilter, and look where that went."

Howell scowled for a moment before speaking. "An alien attack? How'd you hear that?"

"Psh. Come on, an asteroid hit? Sounds like one of those lame-ass excuses."

The elevator began to slow, and then stopped. Howell had a grin on his face. "As it turns out, you're half-right." The elevator doors opened, and a metal face stared down the pair. Christopher jumped back so quickly Howell couldn't help but laugh. He tripped over a crack in the floor, and fell to his back.

"What the hell is that thing?" yelled the now frantic boy. "Jesus Christ, is this some kind of fucking alien?"

"Not exactly. You are looking at the pinnacle of human science; the Evangelion!" Howell decided to ham up his performance for the boy, who was now suitably cowed. "Built to protect our planet from the threat of the Angels!"

The white Evangelion seemed to stare at Christopher. He looked back at it. The doctor's description did nothing to calm his nerves. "And what the hell do you mean by angel?"

"Sorry. Some of my Japanese colleagues came up with it, and it stuck." He looked at the Evangelion again, then helped Christopher to his feet. "Fifteen years ago, the first Angel attacked Antarctica and nearly wiped out all life on the planet. My organization, Nerv, is dedicated to defending the Earth from further attacks, and these are the things that will do it!"

"How does it even work?"

"Every Evangelion needs a pilot. And you, for however short a time, were the first person to successfully synchronize with this one, Unit Four. Congratulations. You are now the first American Evangelion pilot."

"WHAT? You cannot expect me to pilot that thing! I'm fourteen, dammit, I'm not some kind of soldier. You have to have trained professionals for this kind of shit!"

"The problem is that, for whatever reason, we've only ever had luck with kids your age. It has something to do with Second Impact, we think."

"Are you telling me you built these things, and you don't even understand why they work?!?" Christopher's look was one of utter confusion. How could something be built without complete understanding of its function?

"Don't ask me, I didn't design the damned things. As it is, these are our last line of defense against the Angels. And when it comes down to it, if you can pilot it, then we need you to. You're only the third person to actually activate it." Howell didn't mention how the manner of the Eva's activation was hardly typical of the other activation tests.

"Do you know how much that thing hurt? If it does that every time, then I won't get in that thing!"

"Your first activation was more typical of something called a 'contact.' It only happens once per Evangelion, so that won't occur again."

"Great. So now, I get to pilot a giant metal death machine before I even manage to have a first kiss." He glanced at the doctor. "Might as well get started, then. How's this thing work?"

"Glad to hear you're eager. If you'll just follow me this way..."

*******************************************************************

Christopher was again inside the entry plug, though this time there were several differences. This time, he knew where he was, and he hadn't been sealed inside forcefully. He was also wearing the neural uplink band that would allow him control of the Evangelion, and the tight fitting plugsuit that apparently enhanced his synchronization ratio. He didn't enjoy how the thing seemed to fill in to his cracks, but he supposed it was better than being naked.

The entry plug was not inside of the Evangelion. Instead, it currently resided inside the synchronization test chamber, a level above the Evangelion's holding pen. The Magi computer system, officially designated as Magi 07, was not as powerful as the primary trio in Japan, but it had enough computing power to route the sync test chamber through the actual Evangelion.

"Alright, Christopher, try to relax." Dr. Howell's voice came through the speaker system installed in the entry plug. "This isn't about control, this is about seeing if you can synchronize again." He pressed a series of buttons on the keyboard in front of him, and the circuits that connected the test chamber with the Evangelion came alive.

When he connected with the Evangelion this time, Chris had a very different sense than his first disastrous encounter. He wasn't in control, but he could feel the Evangelion almost like it was an extension of his own body. It was odd, to say the least.

The sync graph on the monitor to Dr. Howell's left began running. Christopher's scores were about an average between the two other recorded pilots, Asuka Sohryu and Rei Ayanami. "Good, Chris. We're going to lower the plug depth."

"What does that mean?"

"We're going to increase the LCL pressure and lower the plug to see if that affects your ratio. Don't worry, it shouldn't hurt." With that ominous remark, Howell pressed another series of keys and watched at the entry plug sank deeper into the solution. Thankfully, it appeared that Howell knew what he was talking about; Chris experienced a deepening of sensation with the Evangelion, but felt no more pain.

The sync ratio didn't move, so Howell turned to the fat technician, again working with him, and spoke. "I think we're ready for an actual activation test. Get the other entry plug ready." He turned again and spoke into the microphone. "Alright, Chris, we're gonna pull you out of there. You ready?"

"Yeah." Chris shuddered a little bit as the connection suddenly ended. "Man, that is weird. I don't think I'll be able to get used to this..."

The trip from the test chamber to the entry plug lab took about ten minutes. Chris kept the uplink band and plugsuit on for the trip, even as the damned thing started to give him a wedgie. "I'm already piloting the goddamned Eva, they couldn't make it comfortable?" he muttered to himself as he walked down the hallway.

The plugsuit matched the colors of his Eva; the body was white, but chrome highlights were on a number of parts. It wasn't comfortable to walk or stand in, though it fit well when he sat down in the Evangelion. He idly scratched his head and nearly knocked the band off, but managed to secure it to his head again.

He entered the other entry plug in the lab, and waited for a moment as it shifted into position. It began filling with LCL, and he took a deep gulp of it into his lungs.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. This is the moment we've all been waiting for." He dramatically flourished his arm before pressing the button that sent power to the Evangelion.

"It's a success, sir! The A-10 nerve connection is active."

"Excellent. Christopher, try some simple maneuvers; arm movement, walking, stuff like that. I need to talk to Commander Ikari." Christopher walked out of the command center and down the hall to his office. The hallways were quiet, as all eyes were on the Eva's activation test. He entered his office and picked up the phone.

The two Nerv branches had a direct phone connection that couldn't be tapped by normal means. This allowed Dr. Howell and Commander Ikari to speak almost immediately, as the connection worked even better than speed dial.

"This is Commander Ikari. What is it now, Dr. Howell? Did another teenager breach your security?" Ikari seemed to be in a better mood than usual. Normally, he wouldn't be sarcastic at all, even if his tone of voice remained exactly neutral.

"It's good news this time, Commander." Dr. Howell couldn't help but grin. "It turns out the boy can, in fact, pilot the Evangelion. It looks like we have our Fourth Child, huh?"

Ikari didn't let his surprise carry into this voice. "Really. In that case, I think it's time for Evangelion Unit Four to come to Japan."

"Are you sure, Commander? It seems a little soon, and we haven't seen any sign of the Angels yet."

"Are you questioning my orders, doctor? I can always find someone else to manage Unit Four."

Howell almost sighed, then realized the sound would carry over the phone and stopped himself. "Yes, sir. I understand. I'll make the preparations."

"Good to hear, doctor. And send the boy over first. The Third Child is due to arrive in Tokyo-3 at any time, so it would be convenient if they came at the same time."

"The Third Child? Your son?"

"Yes, the Third Child is my son, but that is not of your concern. Make your preparations and send the boy over as soon as possible." With that, the Commander hung up the phone, leaving Dr. Howell holding the receiver.

***************************************************************************8

The day after, Dr. Howell told Chris his instructions.

"I can't go to Japan, I don't speak Japanese! I won't understand anything!"

"Sorry, Chris. The commander was insistent. And when the commander says jump, you jump. Anyway, you're young. You can learn the language easily enough."

"Great. Not only do I get to pilot a giant death machine, I get to do it in a foreign country where I don't even speak the language." He sighed. "When do I leave?"

"The flight is later today. And don't worry too much, I'll be coming over with the Evangelion. It'll just be a couple of days. And a lot of Nerv personnel speak English anyway."

Christopher grumbled something under his breath that the doctor didn't quite catch. He chose to ignore it. "The other pilots are your age anyway. It will do you some good to have some friends."

"Fine, I'll go. But I won't enjoy it."

"I'm sure you won't."

Later that day, Chris prepared to board a Boeing 848, a model they began producing about ten years after Second Impact. The plane was fast, but the flight would still be about ten hours. It was rather exciting for a boy who had so far never been on an airplane.

Doctor Howell accompanied him to the gate, and his status as UN personnel allowed him to go through security. "Alright, Chris. When you get to Tokyo-3, you need to find Captain Misato Katsuragi. She's Nerv's tactical advisor, and she'll be your superior while you're in Japan. This is her number." Howell handed him a post card. This picture on it was of a woman, probably about thirty, in a loose tank top, bending over and giving a rabbit ears sign.

"Seriously? She looks more like a stripper than a military officer."

"She's a little eccentric. But she's very good at what she does, so don't judge her too harshly. I'll see you in a few days."

With that, Christopher boarded the plane to Japan. The trip was mostly uneventful; he had the opportunity to see _Jurassic Park_ for the first time, and turbulence nearly made him spill his drink, but he arrived in Tokyo-3 without incident.

He was only there for a few moments when the first alarms began.


	2. Chapter 1: Bad Timing

The dark shape moving through the water outside Tokyo-3 was not natural to Earth. It was too large, for one thing; the human mind simply rejected it as being too big to be real. It was vaguely humanoid, but its arms were too long, its waist was too small, and its legs seemed misshapen, as if they couldn't actually support the thing's weight. Even worse were the bone like structures on very points of its surface. What looked like ribs and a bizarrely shaped skull with a pointed nose stood out starkly against its black skin.. The red sphere embedded in its chest did its appearance no favors, and only made it appear more otherworldly.

Right now, it was horizontal, in a parody of a swimming man. Its limbs made no movement as it glided through the water under some other power. It took no notice of the buildings on either side of it, slipping down abandoned streets covered by water for fifteen years. Even as the military forces arrayed for such an eventuality became aware of its presence, it took no notice of them. To it, they were like so many ants ineffectually biting at a larger creature.

From their perspective, of course, things were very different. To them, this was an invader. It had no business being in their country, or even their world. They did not know what it was or what it wanted; neither did they care. It was only another target to be destroyed before it caused any damage. Sure, it was bigger, and it might be stronger, but that would not stop them from dying to defend their home.

Christopher Roland was at the airport of Tokyo-3 when the first alarms were sounded. The announcements were in Japanese, naturally, so he didn't understand them, but the quite klaxon that accompanied it was unmistakable. He ignored it, however. If it was important enough to bother him, then it would have to be bilingual, right?

He walked towards the location where he had been told to meet Captain Katsuragi, who would be his superior while he remained in Japan. He had a map, so he didn't bother looking at the street signs or landmarks. It was his assumption that finding his way around later would not be of much importance. As he arrived at the street corner where he had been told to meet, he saw another boy, about his age but shorter, standing by a pay phone. The other boy spoke into the phone in Japanese before hanging it up and picking up the bag by his feet.

"Excuse me!" yelled Chris as he approached. "Do you speak any English?"

The other boy nodded a little bit, albeit hesitantly. Chris took a second to examine him.

He wore a white button down shirt tucked into black slacks that made him look, in Chris's opinion, boring. His hair was black, of middling length; it wasn't in his eyes, but it probably could have used a trim. His eyes were brown, and his face was distinctly unhappy, as if hadn't wanted to be where he was.

"Great." Chris set his bag, a dark green duffel bag filled with t-shirts and jeans, on the ground next to him. "Is this the Hakone tower?" He had been told that Japanese cities did not have named streets the way American cities did, so he had been told the easiest way to navigate was either by map or landmark. He had chosen a map.

"Er, uh, yes." The boy seemed to stumble over the English word, which wasn't surprising to Chris. He had some time to study Japanese on the plane, but very little of it had stuck. At least the other boy understood English, even if it was only a little bit.

"Arigato." He had at least managed to remember the word for thank you, though whether or not there was some other connotation or if he even pronounced it correctly was beyond him.

In another part of the city, Misato Katsuragi was desperately trying to find the two boys. Naturally, both of them had arrived during an emergency. She would have invoked Murphy's Law, though she was unfamiliar with that way of phrasing it. The GPS in the dashboard of the car she drove was guiding her toward the Hakone office building where both had been told to wait, but in her hurry she must have missed a turn or two.

Back at the tower, the black haired boy suddenly focused on something in the distance. Christopher turned to look where he was looking, and caught a flash of a blue haired girl in an outfit as if she was prepared to go to school. Just as quickly as he looked, however, she disappeared. The other boy was distracted for a moment by a flock of birds suddenly taking flight, then looked back. Christopher thought nothing of it, but the other boy continued to stare.

"Hey, what's your na..." Chris began, but a shockwave suddenly ran through the city. Doors shock, telephone wires vibrated, and Chris was knocked nearly off his feet. Both boys again turned, and saw a number of aircraft – each somewhere between a helicopter and an airplane – retreating. What they were retreating from soon came into view.

Even though he had seen an Evangelion before this, the thing that came into view shocked Chris visibly. He stared intently at it, his hands by his sides. His companion held a similar position. The two of them could only watch as it strode calmly into the city.

Deep underground, in the massive facilities underneath the city, a command center was alive for the first time in its operational history. On a raised dais in the back, two men were perched. One, the older, stood, grey haired and regal. The other was younger, black haired, and wore glasses that reflected the ambient light. Both watched the massive creature on a viewscreen enter the city.

"It's been fifteen years." announced the elder.

"Yes, it has." He paused for a moment. "Angels..."

**Chapter 1: Bad Timing**

Missiles flew out from a number of orifices hidden throughout the city, zipped by above the two boys, and slammed into the creature, then exploded spectacularly. Their force blew the creature back, and it stumbled for a moment. Chris would have cheered, but he was still shocked, and they failed to do any lasting damage. As one pilot in the hovering craft exclaimed, "All missiles hit the target!"

The thing raised its arm, and the extension on the back of its arm suddenly surged forward. A lance of red light smashed into one of the hovering vehicles. It hit the ground in front of them, and Christopher involuntarily took a step back. What happened next was even more of a surprise to the young American boy; the thing began to glow, and launched through the air without any apparent effort. It landed on the crashed helicopter, crushing into an unrecognizable mass. It then exploded, and the shockwave knocked both of them of their feet.

The other boy landed in an awkward sitting position, but Christopher was not so lucky. He was in the process of turning to run as the shockwave hit, and so he landed face first. He grabbed it in pain and picked a piece of gravel off his skin, then rolled onto his back. The other boy had raised his arms to shield his face. When he lowered them, he noticed a woman in a car with an open door waiting for them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" she announced in Japanese. Chris groaned; he _really_ needed to learn the language. She had purplish hair and wore sunglasses and a short black dress. While her appearance was a little classier, Chris recognized her as the woman from the card Dr. Howell had given him prior to leaving; Misato Katsuragi.

The military forces continued their ineffectual attacks on the monster, which for the most part continued to ignore them. Explosions and shocks continued to rattle the two boys as they crawled into the waiting car. Chris noticed that it didn't have a backseat, so the two of them had to sit together awkwardly, with Chris on the outside and the other boy closer to their driver.

The thing continued walking, ignoring any obstacles in its path. That happened to include their vehicle, so Misato drove wildly, avoiding footsteps with excellent precision. The car continued to rock under the ground quaking explosions and steps of the giant as they drove away from the battle field.

At the same time, the underground control center was full of frantic voices. The command center itself was a wonder of modern technology; holographic displays were manned by nearly two dozen trained technicians. Both the Commander and second-in-command of Nerv, Gendo Ikari and Kozo Fuyutsuki, were present, even though it was at this time a military operation.

"The target is still intact! It's continuing toward Tokyo-3!"

"Our air force can't stop it."

Three older men, all in military uniforms, sat at a table overlooking the chamber. One was frantic, one was stoic, and the last had an air of total confidence. They were Generals Yukihiro, Eto, and Kodate of the Japanese Strategic Self Defense Force, and they had big problems. The confident one, General Kodate, spoke first.

"Total war! Mobilize all divisions at Atsugi and Iruma bases!"

The frantic man, General Yukihiro, was naturally quite worried about the outcome of this battle. "Don't hold back! Destroy the target at all costs!" As he spoke, he squeezed and snapped a pencil between his fingers out of nervousness.

Outside, more artillery and tanks opened up on the massive creature continuing implacably towards Tokyo-3. It was just as ineffectual as their previous barrages, and the creature, in a move that seemed impossible, twisted the skull like protrusion on its face as if bemused.

A fighter of some sort, larger than the others, approached the battle. It carried a massive missile, nearly as long as the length of the vehicle carrying it. It was technically a bunker buster, never meant to be employed against a moving target. It relied on kinetic damage to carry it to underground targets before detonating with huge force.

Against the monster they now faced, it would have been overkill had their other weapons not proven entirely useless. It dropped from its carrier, and the rockets at the end of it fired, sending it at the creature at nearly sonic speeds.

The creature watched it come at him for a moment, then raised his hand and caught it. The missile shredded apart as it reached his hand, its impact having no effect. The explosive at the end was similarly useless. What looked like muscles bulged under its black skin as it nonchalantly continued its advance.

General Yukihiro's sense of panic grew. "How? It must have been a direct hit!"

"The tank battalion was totally destroyed. Guided missiles and artillery have no effect." announced General Kodate. He did his best to maintain his appearance of confidence. Surely the brave men of the JSSDF could succeed against this monster.

"It's hopeless! We'll get nowhere with such poor firepower!" Yukihiro's panic was, thankfully, not infectious among the rest of the staff in the base. Because of his yelling, none of the trio could hear the quiet conversation being carried out behind them by the Nerv commanders.

"It's protected by an AT-field, as we expected." Kozo Fuyutsuki spoke calmly, as if we was not at all bothered by the destruction outside. Compared to what he had seen during Second Impact, this was nothing.

"Yes, normal weapons have no effect on the angels." Gendo Ikari was likewise unperturbed. He did not move from his position with his hands folded, hiding his mouth, as scenes of destruction playing out on the screens reflected on his glasses.

A phone rang in the control center, and General Yukihiro answered it. "Understood. I'll employ that, as planned."

Back outside, Chris and the other boy, whose name he still did not have, were crammed tightly into the car as Misato watched the battle through a pair of binoculars. Suddenly, she saw the aircraft hovering around the towering shape veer off, and a sudden realization dawned in her mind.

"Whoa, it can't be! They're going to use an N2 mine!" While her Japanese speech meant nothing to Chris, her next words were in English and spared him the surprise. "Get down!" Even this gesture did little to assuage his surprise when she threw herself over the two boys.

The explosion that followed this action was indescribable. It was so massive, Christopher initially thought that it was a nuclear bomb, but the lack of a mushroom cloud disproved that. He only saw it for a brief second as Misato pressed him down into the seat. He then only felt the massive wave of air pressure that took the car and threw it like a child's toy. They bounced and rolled nearly eight times before coming to a stop, with the car resting on its side.

Chris felt his head knock into the other boy's arm at least once, and had numerous other bumps and bruises during the ride. The other two passengers stood up to look through the window, now parallel to the ground, and watched as debris continued to fly past, but Chris was content to lie there for a moment. All things considered, he was lucky to be alive, and had no desire to further risk his life by sticking his head out a window.

Back underground, General Yukihiro was now ecstatic. "We did it!" he screamed.

General Kodate turned to the two Nerv men sitting behind them. "Sorry, but there's nothing left for you to do." A young woman's voice announced the incoming shockwave, and the command center lost all visual imagery of the target. Behind his hands, Ikari smirked.

Again outside, the trio now stood outside the car. "Are you alright?" Misato asked the other boy in Japanese.

"Yes, but something in my mouth is crunchy." he responded in the same language. Chris only sighed that they spoke the language he didn't understand right in front of him with little regard for his presence, but then Misato turned to him.

"How about you? Are you doing alright?" she asked in English.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. A little bruised, maybe, but fine." She smiled at him.

"Good. Give me some help, huh?" She leaned up against the top of the car, and made motions for him to push. Together, the three of them managed to push the decidedly heavy car back onto its wheels. It rocked a little bit upon landing, but looked otherwise stable. "Thanks for the help!" This time, Chris at least understood the 'arigato' in her statement. Better than nothing, he thought.

"Glad to help."

"Er, yes, it was my pleasure, Miss Katsuragi..." Both boys replied politely, though Chris's response sounded more natural, even through the language barrier.

"You can call me Misato. And that goes for you too. Call me Misato." Again, she used both languages, for Chris's benefit. His immediate thought was that he needed to learn Japanese, if only to save everyone's time. As she spoke, Misato pulled off her sunglasses. "Nice to meet you, Shinji Ikari. And nice to meet you, too, Christopher Roland."

"Same here." both boys responded, albeit in different languages. Misato, the only one there who understood both fluently, giggled a little bit. Neither of the boys got the joke.

***********************************************************************************

Activity continued in the underground command center.

"What's the status of the target?"

"We can't see it to due EMP effects." Despite being a non-nuclear weapon, it was equipped with an electromagnetic pulse secondary weapon. In a more traditional setting, this would have been useful in preventing enemy communications. Here, it was just an annoying side effect.

General Yukihiro was ecstatic at their apparent success. "It was such a massive explosion, it must have been destroyed!"

"Sensors on-line!"

"Energy reaction in the center of the explosion!"

General Yukihiro's scream of "What?!?" was nearly ear shattering. He stood and watched as the screen came into focus. When the enemy appeared apparently unharmed in front of them, his colleagues joined him. Even General Kodate, the the confident one, was shocked.

"That was out trump card." he muttered, the first one to sit.

General Eto sat down next to him. "Unbelievable." he murmured, the first word he had spoken throughout the entire attack.

"Damn monster!" yelled Yukihiro, slamming his fist on the table in front of them.

The crests on said monster's shoulders began to fluctuate, as if they were gills. Its facelike protrusion appeared to be broken, but another had grown over it, and appeared to be pushing the broken one out of place. A sickly pink goop dripped from its wounds.

Misato's car was nearly falling apart. The quick application of duct tape had kept it together, but it rattled and shook with every tiny bump in the road, jarring its passengers along the way.

"Their protection is my top priority. Prepare a car train for us; a direct one, please." No amount of sighing was going to make him learn Japanese any faster, so Chris restrained himself this time. "Yes, I'll take full responsibility for them, since it was my idea to meet them. Bye." _This sucks,_ she thought, _I just had this car restored and now it's a wreck_. She made a face that could only be described as pain. _Thirty-three loan payments to go, and the repair costs..._

"Misato? Are you okay?"

_Even worse, my only good clothes have been ruined..._

"Misato?" Christopher's inquiring voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Er, yes?"

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

This time, Shinji spoke. "And are you sure it was okay that you did that?" He was referring to the multiple batteries they had taken from an empty shop in order to keep the electric car running. That part didn't even register in Christopher's mind as out of the ordinary.

"Oh, it's okay." She smiled at him. " This is a time of emergency, and we need a working car now, right? And I _am _an international government official, after all. Everything will be OK! " That statement did little to help Shinji's guilt.

"That doesn't seem like a good excuse."

"Don't be boring. It doesn't suit a cute kid like you. Look, Chris is fine with it!" Chris heard his name and turned away from the window where he was watching the Japanese countryside. He didn't recognize anything else in the sentence, though, and turned away again. Misato had introduced the two boys to each other formally before they had begun driving again.

"You think so?" Shinji turned to look at the other boy, with a slight frown on his face. Chris took no notice of this.

"Oh? Did I make you angry?" Shinji turned back to her, his frown more obvious. He was clearly disapproving of the pair. "Sorry, sorry. You're a boy, it's only natural."

"You're pretty childish for your age, yourself." Shinji couldn't help but smirk, and Misato's smile turned into a scowl. Chris remained oblivious. The car swerved sharply as they entered a tunnel, and he felt his forehead connect with the glass window. He growled under his breath, but raised no further complaint.

A large twin rotor helicopter hovered over the Angel. It was an observation craft, specifically created to spy on and record enemy movements. Naturally, its current information was being relayed to the underground command center.

"It's regenerating, as we expected." Fuyutsuki's voice was quiet, to prevent the military personnel in the chamber from hearing that Nerv had planned for such things.

"If it couldn't, it wouldn't be useful as an autonomous weapon." Commander Ikari's voice was devoid of surprise, but unlike Fuyutsuki he spoke to be heard. It was to his benefit if the military remained ignorant of the true nature of the Angels.

An x-shaped burst of energy suddenly erupted from the creature on the screen, and their image turned to static.

"Impressive. It seems it can amplify its own functions." Fuyutsuki, in on Gendo's plot, played along.

"And it seems to be getting smarter."

"It is only a matter of time until the next attack." A different angle appeared on the screen, this time from behind the Angel, and they continued to watch it.

"The gate is closing. Attention, please. The train is about to depart." A red safety light tinted the entire scene of the car train in a somewhat eerie red light.

"The special agency Nerv?"

"Yeah, a special organization under the command of the United Nations." Christopher would have been surprised to learn that Shinji was unfamiliar with Nerv, since he was already aware of the nature of his duty, but Misato and Shinji's conversation was naturally in Japanese. As it was, he heard the word Nerv and glanced over again, but otherwise took no notice of their conversation.

"That's the one my father works for, right?"Shinji was, perhaps appropriately, nervous about meeting his father, a man he had not seen for most of his life. Christopher, also having grown up without a father, would have appreciated the sentiment.

"Well, yeah. Do you know what he does?" Misato's question was somewhat rhetorical, as Gendo Ikari's secretive nature made it hard for even his employees to learn from him. As she finished speaking, as if on cue, the red light faded and the train began moving.

"My teacher told me it's an important job to protect the human race."

General Eto looked down at the stern face of Gendo Ikari, now standing in front of the general's desk in the underground complex.

"You're now the commander of this operation. We'll see how you deal with it." General Eto's voice carried an air of solemnity not found in the speech of his comrades, two of which were seated on either side of him. He rarely spoke, but when he did, people listened.

"Yes, sir."

"Ikari, considering our available weapons, I have to admit we have no effective way to deal with the target." General Yukihiro's voice was more subdued now that his last resort had failed.

"Are you confident you can defeat it?" General Eto spoke again, and his voice was still very neutral, despite the fact that the Earth was very much in danger.

Gendo Ikari pushed his glasses up his nose, and stated in all confidence, "That is why Nerv exists."

"We expect much from you." With that, a mechanism engaged, and the generals' desk was drawn down to the chamber's exit. Technicians and aides continued to speak

Fuyutsuki turned to the younger man that was his superior. "The U.N. troops can't help it. What are you going to do?" Fuyutsuki's question did not require an answer; he knew perfectly well what his student intended to do.

Gendo turned to the man he called sensei, and with utter calm, spoke. "I'll activate Unit One."

"Unit One? But we don't have a pilot." Ikari had not informed him of any developments in the pilot pool of the Evangelions, but that could have been exactly as the commander of Nerv intended.

"No problem. A back-up pilot will arrive shortly." While both Shinji and Christopher were arriving on the same day, Ikari believed that only Shinji would be successful in activating Unit One.

"Are we going to where my father is?" Shinji didn't look at Misato as he spoke, which was not unsurprising considering the discomfort implicit in the conversation.

Misato, who had been checking her make-up in a small mirror she kept in her pocket, flipped the mirror closed before speaking. "Well, yeah. We are." Shinji's reaction to the revelation was to shift his head down ever so slightly and make a sound like a nervous gulp. It was quiet, but Chris, being as close as he was to the other boy, heard it fairly clearly. The car was silent for a moment.

"By the way, did your father give you an ID?" Misato's question snapped Shinji back into the moment.

"Uh, yes." He fumbled around for a moment in the bag at his feet, then drew out a rumpled piece of paper that had been torn up and pieced back together again, clipped to a small plastic card. He handed it to Misato, who took a slightly bemused look at the letter's vandalized state. "Here it is."

"Thanks." She switched to English again for a moment. "Chris, what about you?"

"What about me?" Chris turned back to look at Misato, who now had an undeniably embarrassed expression on her face.

"Oops! Sorry. Do you have an ID?" Chris shook his head a little bit, then drew out his wallet and pulled out the plastic card he had been issued in Nevada. It did not have any details on it other than his name, sex, and date of birth, though a magnetic strip running down the back proved its authenticity to the scanners he used it on.

"Here." He also had his fake ID in the same wallet, just in case, though an American driver's license would likely be next to useless in Japan, however authentic.

"Hehe. Thanks. Oh, and read this if you haven't already, alright?" She handed a pamphlet to Chris. He leafed through it, discovered it was written in Japanese, and shot a glare at Misato that sent a slight chill up her back. He shoved it into Shinji's hands, who was so caught off guard he almost dropped it.

He picked it up and leafed through it briefly. "It's about my father's work. Is there anything for me to do?" Misato put her hands behind her head and ignored the question. "I can't say I'm surprised. He never writes to me, unless he wants me to do something."

"I see. You consider him a tough customer." Misato smiled and leaned back, as the train continued to rattle on towards its destination. "I feel the same way."

Suddenly the tunnel ended, and the view out the windows changed dramatically. Rather than the boring metal walls he had been watching so intently, Christopher now saw several buildings hanging down rather impossibly from the ceiling. The fact that he had seen things just as impressive that very same day did little to stop his involuntary gasp of "Holy shit."

"Watch your language, Chris." Misato gave him a glare, although a decidedly mocking one. He barely heard her, however, as he stared with awe out the window. Shinji did the same.

"Awesome! A real Geo-Front!" Both boys had their faces pressed up against the glass window to take in the sight, and Misato giggled a little bit at the two of them.

"That's right. This is Nerv's secret headquarters. And it's a lot prettier than that base in Nevada, huh, Chris?" Both boys failed to pay her much attention, but she continued speaking. "It's also the foundation for rebuilding the human race." As the train continued to move, they both watched the scenery; Shinji was focused on the sheer size of the place, while Chris was more interested in how the building just seemed to hang there.

The train came to a halt after a few more minutes, this time inside the large pyramid on the bottom of the Geo Front. Misato exited, followed by her two companions, and left the car on the train. They promptly entered the building, and Misato proceeded to get completely lost.

"That's strange. I was sure this was the right way." Another door opened in front of them on the moving walkway, and a blast of cold air hit them. The walkway continued forward, over an empty space with other walkways far below. Chris leaned over for a moment, then felt vertigo from the seemingly bottomless pit and shifted his view forward.

"I'd really rather not wear a skirt in this place." Misato looked up from the map for a moment, then looked back at it. "Anyway, where is Ritsuko? Sorry, I'm not familiar with this place."

Shinji, doggedly reading the pamphlet on Nerv Misato had given him, didn't miss a beat. "We passed here some time ago." He didn't even bother to look up. Misato glared sharply at him for a moment, which he failed to notice, then perked up again.

"Well, all systems-" she began speaking, only to be interrupted by Chris.

"We've been through here already." Shinji laughed a little bit, while Misato turned her glare onto Chris. Chris shrank back a little bit, though he was careful to not step over the edge.

"Like I was saying, all systems exist to be used. We'll be fine!" Even though she spoke lightheartedly, she was irritated at the two of them. She pulled out a cell phone, dialed a number, and spoke. "Hey, Maya? Could you please have someone page Ritsuko for me? Thanks. I'm in Section 1 of the Operations Department"

Sure enough, in moments an announcement came over the P.A. system. "Chief of Project E, Section One of the Technical Department, Dr. Akagi Ritsuko, Dr. Akagi Ritsuko, please contact Captain Katsuragi Misato at Section One of the Operations Department immediately."

Sure enough, in about ten minutes, when the trio had boarded an elevator, the doors opened, and the stern face of Dr. Akagi was looking Misato in the eyes. Her surprise was obvious; she tensed up and drew back.

"Uh, hi, Ritsuko..." She did her best to conceal it, but it was clear that she had been startled. Ritsuko entered the elevator, and Misato backed up slightly to give her room. Shinji was still engrossed by the pamphlet, but Chris was surprised to see the doctor wearing a lab coat over a wet suit. The logical part of his mind tried to process why in order to keep the rest of his mind busy.

"What are you doing, Captain Katsuragi? We're short of hands and time." Ritsuko reprimanded the clearly addled captain.

Misato raised her hand in a gesture of apology. "Sorry." Ritsuko sighed, then turned to survey the boys also in the elevator.

"Are they the ones?"

"Yes, according to the Marduk Report, Shinji is the Third Child, and Dr. Howell says Chris is the Fourth." Misato also turned to look at them. Shinji continued reading the pamphlet, and Chris had zoned out, presumably because the conversations in Japanese were beyond his understanding.

"Nice to meet you both."

"Hmm? Oh, nice to meet you too." The English snapped Chris back to the present.

"Ah, the same." Shinji answered as well.

Misato turned to her companion and spoke again. "Shinji is a lot like his father. Neither one is very lovable." Ritsuko smiled a little bit. "Chris is a little better, though. Dr. Howell had some very nice things to say about him, and he's been less trouble." Chris blushed a little bit and shrugged, but was otherwise unperturbed.

At the same time, Gendo Ikari was preparing to leave the command center for the Evangelion holding pens. "I'll leave the rest to you." He told Fuyutsuki, before the one person elevator under his feet activated to deliver him to his destination.

"This will be their first meeting in three years..." Fuyutsuki remarked as his superior left. Something yelled by a technician caught his attention, and he returned to the more pressing situation. "All hands to battle stations!"

The trio was on yet another elevator when an announcement came over the intercom. "All hands to battle stations! Prepare to engage the enemy on the ground."

"You hear that?" Misato asked. She was again speaking English, probably to help Chris.

"How could I miss it?" Chris muttered under his breath, though he abstained from making his complaints noticeable. Shinji said nothing, which was just as irritating to Chris.

"That's serious." remarked Ritsuko. As she looked at the boys in their company, she noticed the significant differences between the two. Both looked fairly average on the outside; it was unlikely anyone would guess they were standing between humanity and destruction. Shinji had some of the characteristics of his father, but also a few from his mother. Chris, on the other hand, was in many ways his opposite; he had so far never hesitated to speak or give his opinion. In other ways, though, they were quite similar; they both shared a bearing of weariness, though neither of them made it obvious, and both of them were quite observational.

"By the way, how is Unit 01?" asked Misato. As they continued their conversation, the elevator passed by a large window showing a room filled with a purplish atmosphere. Shinji paid this no mind, though Chris looked into it, as if he had seen something in there. A trick of the light?

"It's configured with Type-B equipment. It's being cooled." Neither Ritsuko nor Misato looked through the window. Chris stared more intently, and then he saw it clearly; a giant hand, covered in armor. _An Evangelion, huh?_ It didn't shock him to see it, though its posture was odd, as if it were reaching for something. He continued to watch as they passed, and again took no notice of the conversation of his companions.

"Does it really work? I heard that it hasn't yet."

"The possibility of it working is 0.000000001 percent. The 09 system seems like a good name for it." Chris noticed the repetition, and decided _rei_ would be one of the next Japanese words he learned.

Misato sighed. "You mean it won't work, don't you?"

"How rude! It isn't zero." They were now passing the Evangelion's hand directly. The gas in the chamber tinted it purple, but Chris felt like there was something about it he couldn't see.

"It's only a number. And saying 'It doesn't work at all' will be no excuse." The view of the larger chamber faded, and they were now looking at a large pool of some kind of liquid. The ambient temperature in the room was rather cold, so he guessed it was some kind of coolant. A small inflatable raft, the kind used by some special forces units, floated in front of them. Chris briefly wondered how many other modes of transportation he could take in one day.

The boat sped across the liquid surface. As they approached what appeared to be a dock, Chris noticed an Evangelion arm almost embedded in the wall, colored purple and green. Shinji remained concentrated on the book.

As they disembarked, they entered another large chamber, and Chris's mind boggled at the size of this facility. The room they entered was almost completely dark, except for a sliver of light coming through the doorway, and that closed quickly as well.

"It's pitch black." remarked Shinji in English. At least he remembered Chris was there.

"Shinji Ikari, master of the obvious." muttered Chris. Shinji heard him and tried to find him in the darkness, but failed, and soon looked around to discern any detail at all. Then the lights came on.

Shinji almost jumped out of his skin at the sight in front of him. It was a huge face, vaguely reminiscent of a samurai helmet, only a thousand times larger. Its yellow eyes glowed, and Shinji's shock could be seen by anyone. Chris, who had been fooled by a similar trick by Dr. Howell, didn't bat an eyelash.

"A face...a giant robot..."stammered Shinji. He openly gaped at it. Chris, on the other hand, idly wondered who had picked such a garish paint color for said robot. Shinji pulled open the manual again, desperately searching for understanding. Chris laughed a little bit, and Ritsuko smirked.

"You won't find this in the manual." Ritsuko's comment was ironic, considering that nearly half of Nerv's resources were devoted to this project, yet it was not described in the manual. Shinji gasped a little in confusion. "This is humanity's Multi-Purpose Humanoid Fighting Machine, Evangelion."

"This is Unit One. It was built in secrecy." She paused, possibly for dramatic effect. "It and the others like it are mankind's last chance."

"Is this also Father's work?" Shinji asked. He missed the 'and others like it' in Ritsuko's speech, choosing instead to focus on what disturbed him most of all.

"That's right!" announced a voice from above them. Shinji gasped, and saw his father for the first time in three years. Chris looked up and saw a man with glasses and a beard whose face was fixed in a scowl.

"Been a while, hasn't it?" he asked Shinji. The boy looked perturbed, in a way Chris couldn't begin to understand.

"Father..." Shinji glanced down and to the side, as if ashamed of something. The man, who Chris would later learn was the feared Gendo Ikari, smiled. Chris almost instantly disliked the reaction, and frowned to show it.

"Move out." the man announced. Chris didn't know what he said, but the way he said it filled with dread.

"Move out? Unit Zero is frozen." Realization suddenly dawned on Misato, and she glanced at the Evangelion in front of her. "You don't mean that you're activating Unit One?"

"We have no choice." Ritsuko answered. By reading body language and tone, Chris could tell there was an argument in the works, though he of course understood none of it. From the uncomfortable expression on Shinji's face, he guessed it had something to do with him.

"But we can't have Rei pilot it!" The word _rei_ again. He wondered what it meant. "We have no pilots!"

"Two have just arrived."

"Are you serious?" Misato looked at Shinji, and then Ritsuko followed suit. She knew the answer to her own question, of course, but this only confirmed her suspicions.

"Ikari Shinji," Ritsuko addressed the boy standing between them.

"Yes?"

"You will pilot it."

"But it took Ayanami Rei seven months to synchronize with Eva!" _Rei_ again. Maybe it meant pilot. "He just arrived! It's impossible!"

"Just take a seat. We don't expect you to do any more than that." With Shinji the subject at hand, the rest of them seemed to have forgotten about Chris. That was fine with him, as he took his time studying the room.

Misato's next protest was cut off by Ritsuko. "Right now, intercepting the Angel attack is our top priority. Even if there is little chance of synchronizing with the Eva. And we have evidence that it can be done with no training." She took a quick glance at Chris, then returned her gaze to Misato. "We have no choice. Do you understand, Captain Katsuragi?"

"You may be right..."

"Father, why did you call me?" Shinji's quiet voice silenced the two women. He appeared admirably calm, given the circumstances.

"For exactly the reason you think." Chris noticed something odd about his voice. It was being run through a speaker, and came out slightly tinny. If what he had to say was as important as it seemed, why didn't he come down to their level and say it?

"Do you mean that I should pilot this, and fight against that thing out there?" Shinji knew exactly what his father wanted him to do. He even felt a little validated; his father needed him for something! He hid it behind anger.

"Of course." Gendo's smooth answer failed to reassure anyone.

"No way! Why are you saying this now?" His shout stunned everyone in the room, with the exception of the elder Ikari. Chris took a step back, careful not to miss the ground and fall backwards into the tank around their feet. "I thought you didn't want me!"

"I only called because I need you now." Shinji's validation and anger vanished in an instant. Instead, he hung his head. _He doesn't want me after all_, he thought to himself.

"Why me?" he said quietly. Gendo had no trouble hearing him.

"Because no one else can."

"I can't do it! I've never seen it or heard of it! How can I do it?" Now, Shinji failed to look his father in the eye. Chris could only watch, fascinated. It had taken so little time for Shinji to get upset. "I can't! It's impossible!" He was back to yelling, now.

"If you're getting in, stop wasting time. Otherwise, go home!" His yell was enhanced by the microphone, and Shinji cringed at the sound of the rejection. Misato looked warmly at him, feeling sorry for him, while Ritsuko watched with a professional detachment. Then the room shook, and Chris knew things had just gotten worse.

"That bastard has found us." Ikari's words were directed at no one in particular, but everyone heard them. Another shake. _Japan is earthquake prone_,thought Chris,_ maybe it's just that._

"Shinji, there's no time." Ritsuko's words shook something inside Shinji. He looked to Misato for guidance.

"Please get in." Misato's words, while warmer, did nothing to help him.

"No way! After coming all this way...it's ridiculous." He looked down at his feet again. Misato leaned down next to him to speak.

"Shinji, why did you come here?" He didn't have an answer for her, and turned away in a huff. "Don't run away from your father, or above that, from yourself."

"I know! But I don't think I can do." Chris still stood back, confused but aware of something important happening right in front of him, when the other boy yelled again. Misato stood straight again, and nobody said anything for a moment.

"Fuyutsuki." Ikari spoke. To those watching him, it looked like he was speaking into the thin air, though someone could presumably hear him. "Wake up Rei." That word again, dammit.

"Is she available?" spoke a voice from nowhere.

"She isn't dead."

A pause. "I understand."

"Rei." Again.

"Yes." A quiet voice, and female now.

"The back-up is useless. Try again."

"Yes."

Ritsuko stared for a moment, then shouted. "Reconfigure Unit One's systems for Rei! Restart!" Chris then noticed all the workers in the chamber with them, and felt oddly self-conscious. A voice from an intercom said something as Ritsuko began walking away from Shinji. Misato lingered for a moment, then began walking in the other direction. Chris stayed where he was, unsure of what to do.

Shinji shook, alone with his thoughts. Chris turned to follow Misato, then heard something rattling and turned to look.

It was a hospital gurney, like the kind he had spent his time on while unconscious after his incident with the Evangelion. A doctor and two nurses wheeled it into the room, between where Chris and Shinji were standing. Chris had to take a step back to avoid it.

Lying on the bed was a girl. She wore one of the plugsuits, although this one was colored differently from his, and sleeveless, probably to accommodate the bandages on her arms. He right eye was covered by another bandage. She looked like a fairly average girl, about the same age as the other two pilots, but Chris distinctly felt there was something off about her appearance he couldn't put his finger on. Then he saw it.

Her hair was blue, and her eye was red.

It made her seem ethereal, like she wasn't really there. Her skin was pale, as well. Maybe she was an albino. Then he realized why she was here.

She struggled to get up, squealing in pain as she did so. Both Shinji and Chris watched. Shinji quivered, but Chris wanted to yell at someone. She was hurt, why would they make her pilot it?

There was another shake, and then a larger one. The girl fell off the bed completely, while Shinji and Chris were both knocked off their feet. The fluorescent lights above them shook too, and then fell. Misato's warning came too late for any of them to move.

When he was still alive a minute later, Chris took a look around. Shinji had the same bewildered expression on his face he assumed he was wearing. The bigger shock, however, was the purple and green arm shielding them from harm. He couldn't even muster up the presence of mind to swear.

"Impossible!" Ritsuko yelled something unintelligible. "The entry plug hasn't even been inserted yet! It can't move!"

"It reacted without the interface..." Misato wasn't a scientist, and didn't understand the functions of the Eva, but she knew it wasn't supposed to do that, even if it had saved three of their pilots. "Or did it protect him?" She looked at Shinji, and smiled. "He can do it!"

Both Shinji and Chris raced over to the girl, who was now lying on the floor, breathing painfully. Chris reached her a few seconds ahead of him, since he was taller and more athletic than the other boy. He picked her up, carefully. When Shinji arrived, he did the same. Chris was more focused on her; Shinji took a glance back at the Eva, however, and watched the eyes in its helmet light up.

She was gasping in pain, but otherwise made no attempt to move from their arms. Chris felt something on his hand and looked to see it covered in blood. In the corner of his eye, he saw Shinji doing the same. Chris grew paler at seeing it. She continued to gasp and shudder in pain.

Shinji stayed there for a second longer, then looked up at the adults, specifically Gendo and Misato, on the other side of the room. "I'll do it! I'll pilot it!" Shinji started to stand up, then remembered the girl. With Chris's help, he tipped the gurney back over and laid her on top of it. He then began walking towards Misato's end of the room.

"Where are you going?" Chris's voice was curious, not accusatory.

"Ah...to get in it?" Shinji's English stumbled a little bit. Chris was at least able to puzzle it out.

"Good luck." Shinji looked surprised at the encouragement. _Does he understand?_ thought Chris._ His English doesn't seem too great. _Shinji hesitated another moment before speaking again.

"Thank you." he stuttered, before dashing off to Misato. The Nerv tactical officer began to help him into the Evangelion, and Chris was left standing next to the girl. The doctor, who he hadn't seen leave, came walking up to him.

"We need to get her out of here." he said, in slightly accented English.

"Oh." Chris's gaze lingered on the girl for another moment, then back to the doctor. "I'll get out of your way." The girl's breathing had returned to normal, and she no longer looked like she was in pain, but her eye had closed, like she was sleeping. He watched the doctor wheel her out of the chamber.

"Chris!" He heard Dr. Akagi calling him, and he looked back her way. "The Evangelion is prepping for launch. We need to make room for it."

"Ah, right." He followed her out of the room and up yet another elevator, this time into the command center.

"We'd have sent you out there too, but your Eva isn't here yet." Ritsuko looked like she wanted to sigh, but held it in. "We'll have to blame Dr. Howell for that when he gets here."

He smiled a little bit, then frowned as a hundred questions came to his mind. He managed to condense them down to the two or three he felt he really needed to know.

"Dr. Akagi, who was the guy in there? The one with the glasses?"

"Dr. Howell just can't do his job right, can he? He was supposed to brief you before you left." The elevator delivered them to their destination, and they walked through the double doors into the command center. "That was Commander Ikari. He's the head of Nerv and our commanding officer."

"And who was the girl?" He recognized that she was another pilot, but he was curious about her name – and why she would have had to pilot despite her severe injuries.

"That was the First Child, Rei Ayanami. As you could see, she was injured in a training accident.."

"So then why would she need to pilot it now?" The meaning of the word _rei_ finally clicked in Chris's head, though he was unaware of why Dr. Akagi had repeated it so many times earlier. Maybe it had more than one meaning?

"Because if Shinji didn't pilot it, we wouldn't have any other choice." She turned to see Misato arriving in the room as well. "If you have any more questions, they're going to have to wait." Dr. Akagi walked over to one of the empty chairs on the command bridge. Chris took a look around the huge underground space. Screens were everywhere, and some data was even holographic. He had never seen anything as impressive, unless one counted the Evangelions.

One of the screens showed the room he had just been in, with the Evangelion displayed prominently. Techno-babble floated in the air around it; had he spoken Japanese, he still would have understood little of it. He could, however, see the process of launching the Eva quite clearly.

The massive purple and green monstrosity was not moving yet. The liquid surrounding it, a coolant designed with the Evangelions in mind, began draining out of the chamber. The entry plug connected with its slot in the Eva's back, and screwed itself into position. As it locked into place, armor plates on the Eva's back slid over to protect the cockpit.

On the inside of the entry plug, Shinji Ikari was raptly waiting for launch.

"Insert LCL into the entry plug."

Shinji watched as an orange liquid began to pour in around his legs. "What is this stuff?" he managed to shout before it reached his head and he began holding his breath. A cockpit camera showed this view to Chris, who could only laugh at Shinji's comically inflated face. No one else seemed inclined to find humor in the situation.

"Don't worry. After your lungs fill with LCL, it will directly supply you with oxygen." Dr. Akagi's voice failed to reassure Shinji. He continued holding his breath until he no longer could, and then took a huge gulp of the liquid. "You'll get used to it soon."

"I feel sick." Shinji looked like he wanted to throw up, and no one could blame him, with one exception.

"Live with it! You're a boy, aren't you?" Misato's outburst drew a look of confusion from Chris and one of weary resignation from Shinji.

More commands were issued, and the Evangelion was connected to its power supply. Electricity flooded the entry plug at imperceptible levels, turning the LCL colorless. Shinji witnessed a number of bizarre images as his mind synchronized with the Evangelion. Finally, the image became a view of the chamber outside the Eva.

Holographic charts appeared in the control room, and Chris looked at those labeled in English. He understood what a few of them said, though their purposes were beyond him.

"Rate of synchronization is 41.3%." announced the young female technician, Maya Ibuki.

Ritsuko, seated behind her, gasped. "Incredible."

"All harmonic values are normal. Everything is under control."

Ritsuko looked back at Misato. "It will work."

Misato nodded coolly, then shouted. "Prepare for launch!"

Construction gantries and safety locks moved away, freeing the Evangelion for movement. First the one around its chest, were they had been standing earlier; then the arms came free, one at a time. As they rolled away, Chris couldn't help but be awed by the scale of it all, even seen through a camera lens.

"Roger." Maya entered some information into her keyboard. "Eva Unit One to the launchpad." A massive assembly began moving the Eva backwards until it was flush with the wall of the chamber behind it. Something locked into place, a light above the Eva turned green, and a chart on one of Maya's screens lit up. "The course is clear! All green!"

"It's ready to launch." Dr. Akagi commented to Misato, who looked at her.

"Roger." She turned and looked at Commander Ikari, sitting in the back of the command center. "Are you sure about this?"

Ikari didn't bat an eye. "Of course. We have no future unless we defeat the Angels." He showed no concern for the well being of his son.

Even Fuyutsuki questioned him. "Ikari, are you really sure about this?" Ikari only grinned.

Misato's shout of "Launch!" preceded the actual event. Electricity fired through the magnetic rails of the launcher, and Shinji felt heavier by several times Earth's gravity. The Eva moved faster than Chris thought possible for something that size.

Warning lights turned red, and a siren sounded as the Eva surfaced, almost directly in front of the Angel. Its head snapped back in whiplash, though it appeared undamaged. The Angel turned to look at this new intruder in its territory, and then its massive red core glowed.

Silence reigned in the command center as the two massive abominations stared each other down. Everyone in the room felt a distinct feeling of dread, except for the Commander. Shinji could only stare at the creature in front of him.

Then it began to move.

*************************************************

Author Notes

This chapter doesn't diverge a lot from the show; our new characters aren't in the position to change anything yet. I promise that will change in the next few chapters! Thanks for reading.


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